By Baxter Overman | January 10, 2025 in 
Cleaning any type of electronic touchscreen or car display is a straightforward process…BUT it’s a good idea to clean screens only after you’ve dusted and vacuumed your interior.
Since you don’t want dust flying around and landing on a clean screen, follow our dust and debris removal tutorial beforehand.
To start, we recommend breaking up screen cleaning into 3 stages: debris removal, cleaning, and buffing. Be sure to turn off your car and display…or put your main touchscreen display in screen cleaning mode if it has one.
Step 1: Use compressed air to remove dust around the screen
This step is optional, but it’s a good idea to clean underneath physical buttons or knobs that may be near the display screen—especially if your interior is very dusty.
You can use a can of compressed air or an air compressor with a blower attachment during this phase.
Again, if you keep your car clean, there is no real need to do this every time.
Step 2: Dislodge dust with a soft-bristled detailing brush
Next, gently dust (with zero pressure) the entire screen and any adjacent knobs where dust tends to collect. The idea here is to dislodge dust particles using bristles. Microfiber towels are great at lifting dust on flat surfaces, but bristles are far better in tiny crevices where dust likes to live.
If you don’t have a set, pick up a pack of detailing brushes and make sure it includes at least one soft-bristled “makeup” brush. These are ideal for safely cleaning touchscreens.
SPTA Interior Detailing Brush Set
🏆 Our Top Pick for Interior Detailing Brushes
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These ‘makeup’ style brushes will have a super soft tip, often colored. Brushes in most detailing brush sets still contain relatively soft bristles, they’re just better for vents, not your most delicate screens.
Brush sets commonly have brushes with stiffer bristles (made of boar hair) designed to agitate; these are great for cleaning dirt or substances ‘stuck’ on a surface.
Step 3: Apply a screen-safe cleaner to a microfiber towel
There are a few different types of dedicated ‘car screen cleaning’ sprays out there, most decent so long as they are designed for touchscreens. The one we recommend for beginners is by a company called Chemical Guys.
Chemical Guys Interior Detailing Spray
🏆 Our Multipurpose Pick for Interior Screens and Surfaces
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I like this product because it’s versatile, and can be used to wipe down by cupholders are well. I like a good non-greasy formula I can use on screens and plastics, and this one fits the bill for me. Plus, it’s affordable and easy to find in retail stores.
To apply, spray the solution on a microfiber towel FIRST, not directly on the screen. Especially when it’s hot, water droplets can easily dry on contact and be noticeable.
What microfiber towel to use on electronic car screens
Since screens often contain grease from your fingers (and dust), your standard 70/30 blend microfiber towels will help ‘lift’ everything onto the towel.
After you apply cleaner on your initial wipedown, you can use a very low-pile (glass-cleaning) microfiber towel to achieve a streak-free shine.
Check out our microfiber towel guide to learn when to use different types of microfiber towels in detailing, plus our recommendations.
Never use paper towels or household cleaners on vehicle screens. Paper towels will leave lint—essentially tiny wood fibers—that could potentially scratch your screen; household ammonia-based cleaners like Windows can also strip off anti-glare or anti-smudge coatings commonly used on car screens.
Screen cleaning wipes: okay for on-the-go use
Screen cleaning wipes have their place in car care, but think of them as nice-to-have on the go, but not the best solution. And never use wipes like Lysol-brand cleaning wipes or baby wipes, to clean a touchscreen. Many of these household wipes contain cleaners that can be harsh on plastics and trim over time.
If you do go the wipes route, I recommend ones designed for automotive screen cleaning specifically. Wipes can be handy, just don’t expect them to polish and buff like microfiber.
Ready to see better results from home?
If you found this post helpful, check out our video course, Washing and Detailing for Beginners. We cover electronic screen cleaning and a ton of other essentials you should know to clean your car like a pro.
Happy detailing!
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